The active catalytic materials of the present invention are known and the preparations are known. For example, the base catalyst of the invention employing tungsten, vanadium and molybdenum is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,773. Other catalysts of the invention are known in the art and the present invention does not modify these active catalysts. These catalysts of the art have been shown to be especially effective for the production of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid from the corresponding aldehyde. It is the aim of the present invention to make these catalysts even more effective for the production of unsaturated acids.